"Pulp rules inquiry" Topic

Pretty easy to get a 'list' of rules for pulp but what about a 'why this set of rules is better than this set of rules' discussion? And, yes, fully understand this is a very subjective topic but only asking for individual opinions so that is fine. We can all run the responses through our own 'filters' to make decisions about what we do or don't like.

So, how many of you are willing to step into the adventure of answering the above question?

I really like Pulp Alley, this was after looking at Pulp 45 and writing our own Pulp version of Legends of the Old West.

Pulp Alley is really easy to get into once you have set up your leagues, and you rarely have to refer to the rules once you have played a couple of games.

It is really easy to come up with your own league types which can be a lot of fun.

As the writer of 'Astounding Tales!', I'd say it's probably more free-form than most sets. Less structured, more collaborative. But that might just be the cough mixture talking.

It's five bucks. You can't get a shot of cheap bourbon in a crummy bar for that.

link

My daughter and I publish Pulp Alley. Here are some of our general ideas and goals for our game ---

• Pulp Alley plays at the pulse-pounding pace of your favorite pulps and serials.

• Characters are easy to create and customize, making each league unique.

• Players never need to consult charts during a scenario. The action is on the tabletop – not in a rulebook.

• Control of the Initiative is based on events as they occur during the scenario rather than an arbitrary die-roll.

• Fights are fast-paced and simultaneously dangerous for both characters, instead of the old I-shoot-then-you-shoot sequence.

• Perils and challenges are unpredictable and offer multiple paths to success.

• Scenarios are plot-driven, encouraging action, and offering an array of different rewards.

• Through campaigns and experience your characters can increase their skills and develop new abilities.

You can download the free Pulp Alley Quick Start rules from our store -- store.pulpalley.com

A similar topic came up on another forum recently, if you'd like to check it out -- link

Also, please feel free to look through the Pulp Alley AAR Archive to see some of the games players are sharing -- link

HAVE FUN

Dave
Pulp Alley

See, Dave, that was waaaaay more helpful than my contribution. More Doc Savage and less Phil Marlowe.

Can I interest you in some bourbon? Cough mixture?

Yup, I'd be proud to share a bottle of bourbon with you any time. All I have is a half bottle of rye at the moment -- for medicinal purposes, of course.

Well, one "independent" response so far. That is good.

Here is my biggest challenge with both Pulp Alley and Astounding Tales: both games seem to use only about a dozen or so figures in a game. I am much more likely to use a dozen dozen – or a gross, if you prefer. So, for our two "interested" repliers, Howard and Dave, are either of your rule sets adaptable to such large games? Or even larger games?

I love the reports of the fast and simple – I'm all about such rules. But I also want a more spectacular setting and a "larger meal". Seems, as they stand now, both rules really only provide a modest appetizer experience. Maybe the appetizers are delicious – but perhaps not quite as fulfilling as one my want. Me being the one here, of course.

It is good to keep in mind that I bill myself as the Cecil B. DeMille of 15 mil.

Oh, and I do have a film crew primed and ready for paint in 15 mm (maybe not quite a silent era crew but sometimes we have to settle until something better comes along).

Would love to see a report of some Pulp games where many scores of figures are actively engaged – though perhaps most will be "cannon fodder".

I know the last thing you want is another author chiming in , but I might suggest you look at GASLIGHT and it's Pulp Supplment "To Be Continued…" Players can control as few as a 4 chracters, or as many as 2 to 3 units of 10 figures. So it's easy to get a hundred or more figures in play.

Here's a Captian America game report that had about a hundred figures: bucksurdu.com/blog/?p=1106

And here's a Captain Nemo game with a couple hundred figures:
link

Here's the GASLIGHT website where there is a free "Quick Start" copy of the rules:
link

Early

Pulp era rules tend toward the use of character abilities rather than large unit tactics. Can you give us some examples of what types of conflicts you want to represent?

Another 'independent' response. :) If you want a game with umpty million characters these are not the rules to use, in pulp 'skirmish' the aim is not to see if your division of troops can get into the Cazbar and get the information on the plans for Nazi Germany's strike on Hawaii :) but for Bud Lighthope to do it without anyone knowing,so yes besides the rule mechanics there is always a bit of RPging to make these games zing. I don't think these are what you are looking for Early morning perhaps adapting FOW or something similar as you do 15mm. The only other contender for 'fast and furious fun besides the above excellent game systems that might stretch the amount you can cram table top wise is some of the 2 Fat Lardie rules.
Hope this can give you more ideas at what your looking for.
Cheers and yes I like all of these rule sets for different games and reasons, thanks guys.

To Dave @ Pulp Alley

Is there a way to get a copy of your Quick-start Rules PDF without having to create a Customer Login? No doubt you are an honest and reputable person, but I'd really prefer not to have to spread my personal info all over the Internets every time I'd like to check out a free PDF. Thanks.

Well if you want big battles.

link

My son and I have done quite a few "big battle " pulp games with "flying lead". We tend to have units of 20 or so figures. We really like the Ganesha game system and have made modifications for company style games. We took the Civil War 61 to 65 rules and applied it to the battle of Tippecanoe (1811). Of course this is not pulp, but the principle of company level games is useful.

The basic "flying lead "rules allow you to give each figure certain attributes to create fairly unique entities. We however typically just Play the figures as basic people except for the leaders.

I like to use "Triumph & Tragedy". It has a unique card driven initiative system. We usually play with around 80 to 100 figures per side. there is a Spanish Civil War & Colonial Supplement available.

"The focus of the current "T & T" rules is on the Great War and the "Interwar years" from 1914-c1939, allowing players to re-enact adventures in such diverse settings as Russia, China and India, as well as South America." (from the T&T page)
triumph-tragedy.de

I still haven't figured out what you are trying to accomplish. In this group "pulp" can be anything, so it would be helpful if you were more specific. But if you are trying to combine a standard wargame situation with several units and a character with abilities to lead them you can try "Rugged Adventures" from Bob Murch's pulp figures site. His rule set allows for *one* character with special abilities, called a "Player Represented Personality" or PRP, leading units of up to ten minis per unit, on a 1:1 scale. You can field as many units as you want to. The rules are free. Here's a link to the rules:

link

While admittedly prejudiced, I would encourage you to look again at "Astounding Tales."

Not sure along with some of the other posters about just what you're looking for, but AT has been run for years at Conventions with from 30 to 50 players, some as single characters, but many with minions, sidekicks, staff, crew, and others Non Player Characters (NPC's for fans of alphabet soup rules).

These games are legendary, and no other rules sets--or Games Masters--have run such events. And "Events" are just what they are!

TVAG

I've examined or played a number of the popular rules for Pulp gaming and the one I've settled on for my events is Pulp Alley. It has an elegant movement and combat system that plays surprisingly simply while allowing for a wide range of activity and strategic or tactical thinking. It is very flexible and adaptable and becoming more so with each new published supplement. Some of the newer rules allow for "gangs" that will increase the number of figures in play without slowing down the game, although I have recently put on some fairly large games using the basic rules with up to 40-50 figures in six player leagues (playing a two-sided game in an Historical setting to boot).

What Pulp Alley could use are some more player aids that would speed set up, however -- such as an updated interactive PDF for crafting league rosters electronically. I am still spending hours on these, since the supplemental books include rules and abilities and modifiers that are not part of the original, basic roster PDF. I retain each roster after use so I don't have to repeat this effort all the time, but if you keep needing fresh leagues or want to make revisions, you still have to start from scratch, basically, whether you create them longhand or on a computer.

I think either Astounding Tales and GASLIGHT handle hordes of mooks really well. GASLIGHT can probably go biggest most smoothly, but either one could be a great fit for what it sounds like you want. I'd suggest you get both!

I've never seen Pulp Alley, so can't comment on them…

(EDIT: I happen to be reading another of Mr. Whitehouse' rules(Outlaws of Sherwood)at the moment, and must add that in my opinion his rules are the most fun to read in the industry (Daniel Mersey is a close second). If you haven't read them before, you might want to get AT just for the reading value/atmosphere/scenario ideas alone. They are some of the very few rules I read "just for the heck of it". And no, I am not related to him or on the payroll!)

Out of curiosity, which (if any) of these rules would be able to represent "Super Powers". Think 1940's super heroes.

Sure Captain America and Batman from the 40's are no problem, but think about the likes of Solomon Grundy, The original Human Torch, Sub-Mariner, The Spectre, Green Lantern, and even Wonder Woman. These 40's characters where active when Pulp was still around, but some of the rules don't seem to work for characters with such powers and abilities.

I like the Pulp Alley plot point ideas, but the all different sided dice has always been a big turn off to me as it never made any logical sense to just using one type of dice.

Thanks

Kim

@ Mr. Canuck – The Pulp Alley Quick Start rules are also available from Wargame Vault, but I don't know exactly what info they ask for. Also I'm fairly sure you are free to enter a fake name/address/whatever on either site. But I think you'd want to enter your actual email address.

Alternatively, please feel free to email me directly at pulpalley@rocketmail.com and I'll reply with the PDF.

@ Early Morning Writer – Based on a normal 10 slot League and with the 'Gang' rules from our Vice Alley expansion, it is fairly easy to field a force of 25+ models per player. Mathematically, I think the current maximum league size is about 70 models. It's doable, playable, and damn fun!

HAVE FUN

Dave
Pulp Alley

Well, a nice lot of options to consider. And, for the record, author responses are fine – just need to put them in a different category than an "independent" response (knowing not all such responses will be really independent) so no worries regarding plugging your own product here.

As to what I am trying to do – I am creating a quasi-historical environment in a fictional setting where quite a large number of figures will potentially come into contact with one another. Will be at least four different sides, maybe as many as eight for some larger games. There won't be much of the 'fantastical' element but there might be some 'lost world' interactions – dinosaurs and steam traction, sure, ray guns and Martians, probably not. Something Captain Nemo inspired is possible. A wee dose of Steampunk is a distant possibility.

I prefer to avoid card driven and 'you go and everyone else waits' rules but understand why they are prevalent here – as much a spectator event as participatory game. However, active engagement for all players for the majority of the game matters.

Number of players might range up to two dozen for a convention level game but 2-4 is more likely most of the time.

Oh, and I will be including large numbers of zoological elements in my games whether they be herds from the African plains or Australia, India, the Arctic, or North America, etc. They might only be part of the scenery or they might be objectives of games.

(Ed, of two hours – your link doesn't lead to identifying the rules in use that I could see.)

I do have G.A.S.L.I.G.H.T. – had since the early days of the rules, mid-nineties I'd say.

At the moment what I'd like to hear more about is the Astounding Tales rules – not because I've decided to go that way but because I want to know more.
So, can someone lead me to a more detailed description of a game or games, especially very large games, played with these rules?

Thanks for all the wonderful responses so far.

(for Kim RYoung – I did see a SuperHero mention on one of the GASLIGHT links)